First, to connect this thread to another, the 95% of fights end up on the ground statistic is skewed. Perhaps they meant "95% of the people who fight end up on the ground, because that's where gravity takes you when you get the @$*! knocked out of you".

Not that anyone cares, but I work in a locked forensic unit. Some of our inmates are violent. Some of those are trained in MA. And yes, if they are trained, my response has been different. I quote Bill Gleason Sensei:
"Aikido is what you do when your assailant does everything right". If they are not skilled, I have never had to do much more than tai sabaki. If they are, I protect myself and my assailant to the best of the ability. (you can understand how this might differ from the response a correctional officer may have...)

In numerous assaults, I have never been taken to the ground. That doesn't mean I never will be. But I sure haven't experienced that statistic cited above.